At the start of this class, I knew very little about digital tools and creating content online. I’ve made a few TikToks and Snapchat posts, but producing content for a website that is my own was an entirely new challenge. Through different projects, I learned how to use programs like Soundtrap and Canva to make effective videos, images, and audio recordings for my website. I enjoyed being able to choose my own topics to express my online identity in an educational yet personal way. Each time I tried something new, I improved my digital fluency – understanding how to create and share things successfully in the digital world. I learned a lot about accessibility, from colors to transcripts and captions, and I am proud to have incorporated what I learned into my website. I also learned about the limits of digital tools and how to overcome them, such as having to convert files to insert them into my projects or having to use more than one tool to achieve my end goal. My digital fluency is much stronger now than when I started the class, which I feel is reflected through my work. I feel more comfortable using different digital tools and understanding how to create content online. I’ve learned how to navigate various platforms, express myself digitally, and think critically about the content I make through reflection assignments and visits from the D.K.C. I was very intimidated when I first came into this class as digital studies were not my strong suit whatsoever and I had very limited prior knowledge. However, this class has given me the skills and competence needed to be more creative and purposeful in my digital work, helping me to become a more skilled, advanced, and thoughtful digital creator.
Courtney Chaney